Yes I am surprised that they let those other PDA teams into the Showcase. Conveintly they make sure the ECNL never get to play the non ECNL teams.Can't risk another embarresment like Jeff Cup. Athletica parents must be requesting new bracket by now for their own tournament. Cops is weakest of three teams they will play. Gunners will be seen on Athletica team that weekend. No doubt.

Great job by PDA, buy arguably the second best team in the state, screw the coach and tell him he's out after one season and PDA will say how they "developed" the team. To bad coach decided to get involved with the PDA he was close to having a team good enough to compete with the gunners without going there.

Is a Coach allowed to change the field on game day just because he prefers one over another? (turf/grass)

Are they allowed to use guest players from another team at the same club? At the start of the game I overheard the parents saying one player was helping them out and later at the start of the 2nd half I heard a different group of parents talking and it seems there was more than one player from another team.

Trying to figure out this imaginary EDL NPL, so do all these regular EDP games for Copa, and others just get double counted for NPL? Looks like NPL schedules show no games played, is this a sham? Take games and post to 2 leagues?

If it's true that PDA used some Gunners girls to "stack" their teams, it really does disservice to the girls on Breakers/Pride/Atletica. Doesn't the club think that their own teams could compete and go all the way without help? Won't the win (if it happens) be tainted in some way?

There are no Gunners playing on the Breakers. It's the same 16 girls that have played since the beginning of the season. Roster hasn't changed. Maybe people should attend a game to see for themselves. All this PDA conspiracy nonsense is really getting old. Get over it, move on and focus on the soccer.

Those of you stating PDA is "stacking" other teams with Gunners players are just plain ignorant American parents. PDA is an Academy, all their players belong to the club. The can mix/match any players in any team as they choose.

Goes to show you don't know anything about Futbol. This is how it's done in the rest of the world.

Regardless what everyone thinks, the #4 team SJEB got crushed by a PDA team that is not ranked. It just goes to show that Got Soccer is skewed and SJEB is not a top team in NJ. Say what you want about PDA, they won in convincing fashion. Either Breakers are really good or SJEB is so overrated. Pick your poison.

@ 9:35.. Did you hear them getting screamed at? The fact of the matter is that they were crying because their coach let them know he will no longer be their coach after this season. He actually praised them for their play against your team, what was there to yell at them about?

Yes, exactly. If your daughter is good enough to be promoted from Atletica/Pride/Breakers they will get promoted to ECNL.My daughter played for Atletica and they took the best players and relegated those that were not performing.

It's a system - if you have 80 girls on 4 U-15 teams, why would you no NOT do this? it would be stupid to keep teams just because of what, chemistry? It's an Academy, you town team people would not understand.

Your daughter gets to play at the appropriate level - isn't that what you want?

@11pm Shore Breakers are currently ranked 6th in NJ; when they were NJSA04 Bulldogs they were ranked #1 in NJ at one point. If anyone has followed the girls you would see that this team plays a good technical game. Regardless of the individual scores/wins/losses per game, if you watched them play you would see they have always played a good game. Like any team they have wins and losses but they compete at most levels. Last year they went to the NY NPL Finals against NEFC and were tied 0-0 through the entire game, two overtimes and lost in PK's. They work hard and they play hard and that's just a fact. It's just about the soccer - no theatrics, no shirt/shorts pulling, no dirty physical play. Anyone who's been around soccer long enough should know that rankings don't paint an accurate picture. Some teams chase points, while others have their success measured by whether they played a good, solid, technical game. Often times good teams aren't represented by their gotsoccer points.

I live in South Jersey, yesterday I figured I would take my daughter to watch what I thought would be a very competitive game between Breakers and Barons. Breakers were solid from start to finish and Barons looked like they were overwhelmed by the intensity level Breakers played at. I was very impressed with Breakers but will be more impressed if they can play that way again this coming weekend. Sometimes it's just your day, we will see. Hats off to a solid performance by Breakers and good luck to all teams in Semifinals.. any predictions? Let's try to keep it mature with comments, no need to bash any of the teams left standing. Let's go.......

I think 12:05 is discussing the wrong issue. Every other ecnl club BUT PDA takes the top kids by u14 from their 4 teams, to be on the ECNL squad. PDA instead has a model where they keep their 4 teams seoarate with zero to little consolidation. But I am hearing now at the U13 age that PDA finally realized they are not competitive with the "4 separate teams" approach and are managing an 80 girl roster ecnl squad instead.

I think what parents are discussing on this U15 blog is the fact that 1) not only does PDA keep their 4 teams separate and not integrate girls on teams B-D into their ECNL squad, but they go 1 step further and 2) bring Gunners girls to teams B-D to bolster the rosters of those teams. It's half ass backwards and doesn't develop the girls on the satellite teams if gunners girls are sent in to win the big games.

So yes academy teams typically give opportunity to various kids to guest with the top team, but at U15 age PDA seems to just give opportunity to ecnl girls to play games for all 4 teams.

To be considered a true academy the movement needs to be an equal amount of upward and downward movement of players thru out the year. PDA rarely uses any upward movement and moves players down after tryouts when a new fresh face comes in, this is nothing more than form of relegation. To me this is not true development for an academy program. Players are not sent down for development, they are sent down to clear space. I believe the Gunners are outstanding but for the life of me I can't understand the rational and fixation of parents wishing to have kids on the other PDA teams.

There is opportunity to move from one of the other teams (Breakers/Pride/Atletica) but no one says it is easy. Gunners has open practices where players from each of those teams have been invited to train with the Gunners. It's up to the players themselves to work hard and show the coach what they have to offer. If what they offer is similar to what the current Gunners players already bring to the table, why would the coach move an established player (one whom has been committed to the team and has played and contributed) in exchange for a player with whom he knows very little about and brings nothing new except a name, face and/or personality? If a player can show that they have a unique skillset, ability/quality (speed, athleticism, vision, etc . . .) in addition to technical skill - then there is no reason why that player won't be given an opportunity with the Gunners. It has been done. Has it been done often? Probably not. But clearly, just being the best player on your team isn't enough to guarantee a spot on the Gunners. One would think you have to offer something to add value to their current team. Again in a true academy setting, players move up and down - but with regard to the downward movement - it's up to the individual players to correct their weaknesses and work on their game try to work their way back up again. It keeps the environment competitive and players hungry. That's the way it is in professional sports as well.

Funny that we are talking about a promotion/ relegation system for players, but we have no such promotion/relegation system for teams. The system makes it clear that there are clubs and leagues that get teams more exposure than others and this is done at the exclusion of other very good clubs. People go to PDA because the club carries weight and people are willing to play for those teams because of that exposure. There is no denying that the the non-ECNL PDA teams have been successful at getting more kids into colleges and likely colleges a level or 2 above where they would have gotten on academics alone.

The shame in the system is it encourages kids to leave their current teams to grasp at the hope and exposure that PDA provides. Why else would kids stay with teams that are no better than any of the other top 10-15 teams in NJ.

What we need is a true promotion/relegation system for teams so that kids are not encouraged to leave their current team based on a club name or exposure. The Northeast NPL is a perfect example where there is a huge gap between the top teams and the bottom teams. That would be a league that would improve and benefit from promotion an relegation there are many leagues that would benefit from that system, but of course that is not in the interest of the larger powerful clubs.

With all due respect I will say my kid is no longer at PDA and believe it or not I always thought well I at the time I will admit that I thought the grass was greener on the other side at Matchfit only to find out that it is no different and in my opinion I feel it has been worse. Now we have 24 players and believe it or not we have allowed people to play on this team and not even practice. How does a club or Academy allow this. There are some many things that I just shake my head with what they are becoming. Our coach doesn’t even run the team well he exact words to me “ I ONLY WORK FOR MATCHFIT.” So does this mean he is not calling the shots? Oh I forget the guy that happens to be a builder who buys all his lumber from him call the shots and this I know because he told me so, but at the time I did not care. How much longer can we take this and now my kid isn’t playing and only gets minimal minutes due to all the pockets the coach is in. Yes I am F’ing pissed and I know we won’t be here for long and they want me to give them $1900 so that my kid can fly out to Seattle with a chaperone and told me no parents are allowed to travel with the team……..kiss my #$##$ we shall see if that happens buddy. I will say for $2900 a year this isn’t worth it. BUYER BEWARE

when you say PDA Gunners are outstanding, what exactly do you mean? As team? individually? Clearly PDA focus on winning teams to promote the brand. Not hard to comprehend. Gunners play a solid team game, very focused on tactics. If you feel you need/want the PDA brand, go for it - hating on them makes no sense at all. They are entitled to do whatever they see fit to get players or teams the exposure they want. That is why you choose PDA. Lets say a player needs to gain confidence, why not use her in another team? Who does it really impact? The people complaining are those that have not really placed winning these games in their true perspective.My kid does not play for PDA, but I respect what they continue to achieve in terms of the teams they field and the players they produce.

Pulling kids up to a higher level team to challenge them - Good ApproachPushing kids down because they are not competing well at their current level - Good ApproachPushing kids down to help a lower team win a game (If this is happening) is wrong.

Kids should be challenged to compete at their most appropriate level whether up or down. Stacking a team with better kids to win a game teaches the kids on that team a bad lesson and tells them they are not good enough. I have no clue whether PDA does this, but if they do, shame on them.

As for the rest, it's great to be at a club that gives you that possibility. My sense is that it doesn't happen as much as it should.

Have the Gunners pulled a single player up to play in a game this year from the 3 other PDA teams? Real question, not trolling. This will answer alot of questions and put an end to much of this discussion. Practice does not count. Anyone who can verify this?

As a PDA U15 parent, PDA has pulled at players from Non ECNL teams up this season. Fact! Go to the games this weekend and see for yourself just how many ECNL players fill in for the Breakers, none! Fact! It's easy to throw stones and assume different things, go see for yourself. Teams are set for the weekend, schedule is posted, if you follow PDA so much, you will know which kid is an original Breaker player, Pride player and a Gunner player filling in. What if the players from Breakers, Pride and Athletica are ok with being on said teams, with 2 teams in the Semifinals and one that made the Quarterfinals, it's obviously still a pretty good product. Remember, the Breakers were the Bulldogs before PDA, nothing has changed but the letters on their jersey. The parents agreed to switch clubs, they were not forced to.

3:18 you are joking right. Atletica and Pride have a good product. They can't compete in major tournaments, and they play in a pretty piss poor NPL League. 2 of the 3 teams had byes in the first round, and look at the teams that they have played. It was a pretty easy prediction to guess that they would get a few teams to the semi finals. If the Pride beat Copa, maybe you have a point. Look at the schedules.

It is fine for people to be happy to be on their teams. I'm pretty sure there just a few unhappy people on both teams who stay because of the carrot dangled out in front of them.

@ 3:18.. a good product within NJ, not talking about other states unless you are taking your child to those states to tryout. FYI, Breakers (Bulldogs)roster has been the same for last 3 years give or take 1 or 2 players. You can not state facts if you are on the outside looking in. Fact!

@ 3:26, if there is a carrot being dangled in front of parents, please state the club your daughter plays for and why you choose to have her play there. My daughter plays For PDA BREAKERS, yours? I have never had a carrot dangled in front of me.. your turn!

Coach DG of the PDA breakers formerely the Bulldogs has done a great job of developing the girls Another parent on the team recently commented to me that all the girls are contributing and that's whyWe have been soSuccessful and that comes from years of developing, it seems like itsAll coming together now Perhaps DG realizes the girls need to move on and that there in a good place , time to be more involved with his kids ... So he is ok letting goHe is not the kind of guy that would let Pda tell him what to do unless he really thought it was bestfor the girls. Want to wish him and his family the best of luck !

FACT. PDA needed a spot for a coach whose very successful( TRFC mind you) team has maxed out in age. Fact . Asked DG to move to younger team. Fact. He said NO. Fact . They said ok , see ya. Fact. There is your team being gobbled up by the monster. Fact. No girls spot is safe. Welcome to PDA Shore. Dont let the door hit you where the good lord split you.

Would it be better for my daughter who is the top player on a division 1, edp, top division in the 7ish tournaments played, ncs state cup, where coach is not concerned with college and the commitment from the Players, or to Be on a lower team where she is without a doubt best player, lowers divisions, president cup, but coach is willing to help get noticed by colleges and is offering her a spot on the team and to regionals without even trying out? (Please give advice)

Not really understanding your cry about empty promises from the "south DOC"?

What would you like this man to do for you? He said he would train your kid/give her a great learning environment. Not perform a bloody miracle! If you don't want to "drink the PDA kool-aid" continue drinking the PISS! from the other side. But i promise you, the kool-aid is much sweeter.

Lonely at the top? Envy of the ECNL? As I read this, there is only 1 team maybe at the top an they haven't been able t o beat match fit in there last 2 games. Two are average or worse and have never one any real competition, and the third was built was built outside of PDA. Yeah, your belief of being at the top is drinking the Kool-aid much like believing you are at the top.

No one is saying that PDA is the only option. Parents forget that above all else, your daughter has to love the game. My daughter is on the Breakers and was on the Bulldogs before that. These girls love the game and each other. Are they considered the best of the best? No, but it doesn't matter because they play hard for themselves,their coach and each other. As a parent I'm proud of that. However, the reality is that PDA will open doors that aren't necessarily available to everyone. It's not a guarantee, but it gives you opportunities. Once there, it's up to your daughter to make something happen. Sometimes it's a hard pill to swallow but maybe your daughter isn't what they are looking for at the time or at that age group. More often than not it's about timing and knowing your child, their strengths, weaknesses and limitations. People have to be realistic. There are tons of different levels of soccer and sometimes the child may not play (or want to play) at the level that their parents want them to. But bashing an organization/team and making sweeping generalizations just rings like sour grapes. No one on this team is drinking kool aid. No one is dangling golden carrots in our faces. We're here as parents because this is where our girls want to be - with girls who are focused on the same goals, a coach who has put his heart into this team and these girls and parents who enjoy watching their daughters do what they love. You can bash PDA all you want but it's about choices. If you don't like your daughter's situation, you have the choice to pick her up and find a better place for her. No one makes you keep your child in a bad place. Instead of bad mouthing you can CHOOSE to walk away and find the ideal situation for your child. But that requires you to be realistic about your expectations. I just tell my daughter that it's all up to her - what she wants to do. The minute that she stops loving it - it's done. But as long as she's hungry and wants more, we will support her 100%. The best thing you can do as a parent is be realistic and keep expectations in perspective. If your daughter wants to play in college - there are literally hundreds of college programs available. Different levels for everyone. Ask your daughter what she wants, listen to her and then do what you can to realistically help her acheive her goals. I love to watch my daughter and her friends play. I love to watch good soccer and good competition. Is losing disappointing? Yes. But you can always learn something from it and come away with a positive instead of a negative.

9:42 Everything that is you say is 100% correct. The Breakers are a different story they are a new PDA, I was at PDA for 5 years, I will not rehash history that has been put on this board, but I believe PDA has left a trail of a lot of disgruntled people. Player turnover on a club is normal and winning and losing on a team is normal, but the character of a club is how you treat your players during adversity and yes when someone is on their way out by their own choosing or by the coach's doing and I have seen a few really bad examples.

@ 12:56 Not just Match Fit but at most clubs I would say that most girls who are looking to leave are probably the kids that aren’t getting quality minutes. The problem at this age group is where can you go where you won’t have the same problem. It’s difficult to take minutes from another kid who’s been with a team unless the new kid is significantly better. If the kid is significantly better then they probably would’ve got more minutes with their existing club.

The Stallions are the better choice for you, SC is a tough trainer but you will learn something. Crush team is a a glorified Northern Counties team, they brought in the Arsenal Crossfire team in full along with the coaches. These are are daddy coaches and it is obvious. If you are gonna pay the stiff fees for both I would think the Stalllions training would be a better value. There is no place for Daddy ball at this age at this level. Not one but two Daddys coaching Crush Crossfire.

@ 4:03 are you talking about the same coach referenced above? I have heard rumors its not working out. Their partner in crime has also just left the club, to head back to NJ Crush. oh well its unfortunate that this kinda crap happens at youth level.

Regarding Stallions and Crush it is very simple.U15 Crush are coached by a pair of fathers, part of rhe package when they came to Crush from Arsenal. An awful lot of money for NPL to be coached by a father. The NPL record is reflective of this.With Stallions you get a very qualified coach/trainer with some baggage. Some parents/players love him, other dislike him. You make the choice. Qualified trainer or Daddy. Baggage vs no baggage.

I have not read everything on the comment wall but I will day my daughter has been given great technical training from a paid coach.My issue is that the team has great passing and position but can't win a game even though the have position 90% of the game.We are stuck in a passing game with no finishing and players are becoming stagnant in there positions.We have decided to move on to a team that may not be as technical but have more drive towards the goal and fight for the win.We thought that with my daughters technical training and precise passing she was lacking in aggression.Hopefully the new team will teach her that and she will become an all around good player. The new team has no coaching fees and plays at a higher level as well. State league U-16.Just wanted to comment by saying it may be a value to try different trams and coaching style to build your personal gain.

Sorry lots of spelling errors hard to message from a cell phone. Another issue I encountered is the lack of enthusiasm from the National licensed paid coach.To him he is teaching his specialty (possession) not really exploreing individual strengths or weakneses.He will continue getting a paycheck year after year for having teams that are good but not exceptional. The non paid coach has an excellent team due to his knowledge and passion that spills out onto his teams.His players love him and fight hard to please him, he is invested in each payer and the team as a whole. Paid licensed coaches my work for a while but investment in the team works too! The free coach played in Germany and also played pro indoor in the USA. We are fortunate but there are other knowledgeable rec/non licensed coachs that could do the same or better than licensed ones.

The Karma gods apparently didnt like some of the scores that the bullies were winning by. What kind of adult allows a team to beat some other 15 year old girls 13-0. 7-1 5-0 and the like. Shameful! And they paid today. Best 2 teams in the finals anyway. Good luck TRE and Copa Milan.

So, now can we stop now with the PDA love affair all the time? There are other NJ teams with talent. Good luck to Copa and TR. And also to the PDA shore coach who did a nice job with his team and got pushed out the door. Should've stayed with that other academy.

FC Copa and TRE are both capable of playing solid soccer. From my personal observations COPA at their best may be a bit more technical of a team, but emphasize at their best because I have seen some less skilled play from them (but that happens with most teams at this age group from time to time).

TRE is a pretty solid team playing with a lot of confidence. This is a great match that I plan on going to.

I watched a ton of soccer this weekend so far. In fact I spent several hours up in Zaraphath today watching games from several age groups. Boys and Girls. Decent to very good soccer for most matches.

I was indeed at the game. FC Copa's play was not the top of their game. They looked like they were trying to prevent an outcome versus taking it to TRE to dictate the outcome. One of those games were COPA looked more ordinary than usual. It shows you (or maybe just me) how all the 'elite' talk is somewhat nonsense. NO MATTER which team some may talk about. Good and Bad games happen with all teams. Not that Copa played bad, i just don't think they were ready for the kind of play TRE played today.

Yes, agree that TRE came out to win the game as direct as they possibly could (or lose it in the same fashion). OFTEN this is how finals are determined. Not always the best soccer (which it was not) but the most determined/composed team wins.

Both are VERY quality teams in the big picture.

I watched 8 NJ Cup games. Even two blowout games and to be honest this was the most quality I saw from most of the teams than I had ever witnessed before.

Congrats TRE and Copa. You both made it to the dance. A nice tournament top to bottom if you ask me.

Congrats to TRE, it is not easy to come through these competitions. As for PDA, the record shows that the Breakers, the Pride, and Atletica are no different than any other teams competing hard, but the PDA name does not bring anything special. I can't speak for the Gunners because I don't see them often.

As for PDA cutting kids 11:04 AM, we are time where most teams have settled and if you cut kids or push them out the door your not likely to do much better talent wise. There are bunch of kids that were cut or pushed out the door that have been very successful outside of PDA. The coaches strategy of churning anyone who is not on the favorites list has weakened the team year after year. 2-3 years ago where the new 5 have not been better than the 5 that left. The team had a ton of talent and so much promise. Here is one example why the team has fallen apart, 2 years ago when the Pride was playing Copa this same weekend, the assistant coach was coaching and the Pride was winning 5-1 at half. The head coach showed up at half-time and the entire team tensed up - as soon as he showed up the all the threats and fear of tryouts and negativity almost turned an entire team around within minutes the personality of the team shifted. The Pride lost 6-5. 5 of the 6 goals coming after the head coach showed up!

You also need to consistently play tough competition throughout the year. When you play in a sub-par league and play sub-par tournaments, you begin to believe you are. TRE is a good example of a team that has always challenged themselves.

Congratulations to TRE, my daughter and I attended Semifinals and Finals as a fan. Anyone who says TRE and Breakers wasn't the best game of the weekend in the age group is off a bit. The one on one match up between TRE forward and Breakers center back was great to watch at this age, those two teams played very hard against each other. Pride team is not good! Copa did well against Pride but nothing against better competition, I think Breakers may have had a similar result versus Copa. The fast an physical game I saw between TRE and Breakers, I didn't see from Copa and Pride, I have seen Gunners play,2 TRE and Breakers would give them all they can handle, same for Matchfit. All the talk about who is this and that is ridiculous, the gap is very small if any between several of the teams. The two ECNL teams in NJ do not play good soccer, I saw them play a few weeks ago and it wasn't good on the eyes!

@620. When you say, do not play good soccer, what does that actually mean? Surely tactics, the quality of opposition and strategy play a part in how a game plays out. The reality is this, the only player you have to really concern yourself with is your own child. If those teams are not for you, no problem. Good soccer is somewhat irrelevant in matches as the objectives of coaches is usually to play winning soccer. Most development does not occur in game.

@ 8:36, I agree somewhat, this isn't about my team your team, my daughter your daughter! I watched Gunners vs Matchfit a few weeks ago, looked like a tennis match, very little passing to feet, balls in the air most of the game etc. Good competition shouldn't cause you to resort to reckless soccer, development doesn't happen in games but the practices should create development. Your telling me that winning at all cause is the product of that? I watched TRE vs Breakers Saturday, game was played fast, physical while both teams still played a good game. Passes were being connected, both teams played from the back etc, they were both trying to win but still played the game the way they are being taught. They didn't get reckless just to win the game. I'm not bashing any team, it's just what I saw. That isn't the first time I've seen the Gunners play that way, they look good against weaker opponents and bad against good opponents.

@933 I am telling you exactly that. I am appalled at how low the standard of play becomes at the top of the ECNL when the games are supposed to matter. Especially between the better teams. I will actually rephrase it and say the teams that have "expectations". The soccer becomes win at all costs. Dominated by set pieces with very little build up play thru midfield. It becomes more like the majority of college games, physical soccer. I have seen a lot of ECNL soccer at this age and I believe the top teams are actually better than teams you mention. I think it I hard to compare the two teams you talk about because my gut tells me that there is more time and space in the game you watched. I do not think that we are developing many kids who can play good soccer at high tempo. They do not have high enough soccer IQs to see the game fast enough and they resort to bashing the ball upfield.

11:18 my facts were to the point that the Pride was ahead 4-0 and lost 5-4. I personally think the game changed more based on the coach coming at half time, benching kids that were doing well and moving kids around more than field conditions. The coached arrived and the kids played in fear. Exceptaybe the score nothing else in my facts are wrong,

6:12 is 100% correct. Game completely shifted when the head coach showed up at halftime. Pride lost 5 girls after that game and they have never been the same since. The coach is always looking foe the next best thing.

I'm sure you've been told that 20 kids have registered and 3 will show up. Threaten the kids that no one is safe and there will be cuts. Coaching with threats and fear. Now that's a recipe for success. Trust your instincts, there are greener pastures.

Looks like this latest round was started by parents of your team. People were complaining that your coach was giving preference to kids who were not part of the team/club rather than the going with home grown talent. If we have learned anything from TRE and Copa is that there is value in trying to keep and hold a team together rather than striving for "the next best thing." Alot of people have commented that your club really doesn't have development as their primary interest. These comments support that.

Agreed, I mentioned TRE and COPA because they were in the Cup Final, but you are right but I think the point is right. Chemistry, good teammates, understanding a system all come into play in soccer. Talent alone is not enough.

I don't know at the beginning of this year's or last years cup that you would have said that Freehold or TRE were the most talented teams, but they came out of the tourney as the best teams.

There is no holy grail of kids that that can build a team. Teams are developed over time and I bet if you look at any team that has won major challenging tournaments the constant will be a core group of 14+ girls that have been together for a long time, that like each other on the field and off, respect their coach, and feel a sense of purpose as a team...and also a supportive set of parents win or lose. The teams that have talent but can't break through has a lot of turnover, players see the game as individual first, the parents back stab, there is no bond between player and coach, and the kids don't know or get along.

My thoughts. I personally think it is awesome to see local clubs still doing well. TRE probably had the pressure to join a big club, withstood the pressure and can hold their heads up high.

SDFC 2-1 over Jersey United to take NJYS State Cup, it was a great game played by both teams. SDFC after being down 2-0 on PK's over came and won 3-2 against NJ Stallions Stampede enabling them to advance to finals. JU was able to get a 1-0 win over TRE on Saturday to advance to finals.

It's amazing, there doesn't seem to be a dominant one or two teams in this tournament. I think seeing the diversity of teams that made it through the two cups bodes well for the next few years. After last week, you would have thought TRE was the team to beat.

Can anyone tell us what team is leading the EPL/ NPL currently. Looks like some games were played, some maybe and others not at all on website. Does this league actually exist? Hard to tell from EDP site if games are NPL, EDP, or CJYSL games. Are games played and sent to 2 leagues for scores? Seems awfully shady to me,.

The EDP schedule has the updated scores for the EDL teams which consist of Alleycats, Stallions, Copa, Smithton, Jersey United and Valkries.

Looks like some teams have played more than others but looks like statistically Smithtown, JU and Valkyries are out and winner will be either Copa, Stallions and Alleycats depending upon how their remaining games play out.

EDP/ NPL arrangement is a joke. Teams play EDP schedule with several games being used as NPL games and all being used for EDP. One set of games with fictitious leagues intertwined. EDP gets money for various league fees, teams get Got Soccer points for multiple BS leagues and all is good. Looks like games get used for both US Club and US Youth. Basically seems to be a buy your team points deal. No wonder clubs like MSC and NYSC left for NY NPL.

Not sure what you see as the great difference between the EDP/EDL and the NY NPL? The NY NPL also hands out Got Soccer points for coming in any place. Winners of both EDL and NY NPL head to the same Nationals, don't they?

I think poster was more at issue with EPL/NPL/ EDP games being used for various leagues. Points being awarded from multiple leagues yet only playing one schedule. Using same game for multiple league scores is BS. No team should get points from 2 leagues for playing a single game. Allows EDP teams to garner more points for higher rankings. Does make a difference when entering some showcases and tournaments. Kind of like being paid twice from 2 separate companies for doing a single job. Great deal if you can get it but unfair to teams in legit leagues.

I just checked last year's points for a couple of EDP/EDL teams (Alleycats and Copa), and a couple of NY NPL teams (ISA and Rowdies). I don't see that the EDP/EDL teams were given double points. Yes, games go into the standings on both leagues but they only received Got Soccer points for their EDP placement, not from EDL. From my understanding the EDL games and placement are just used to determine who gets to compete at an NPL National Competition. On the other hand, NY NPL gives points for their league. So to me it still seems like there's little difference in the two leagues in terms of "collecting points".

Have other teams out there had a negative experience with the Scotch Plains Fire? Some of the dirtiest play I've ever seen comes from them. Certain very identifiable players have been getting away with their brand of cheap shot trash soccer for years. It has to stop. Nobody needs a serious injury due to bullish, undisciplined, behavior.

Do remember having difficulty as a manager getting games scheduled against them. Coach always unavailable. Also saw coach hide spare ball as time was running out, actually watched him move ball as game ball went down hill. Low level program with little future, so not worth worrying about them. Behavior comes from coach.

Other than the Gunners it was a another day of head shaking for the hosts 0-4 if we include the Florida team.Managed not a single goal while surrendering 12 in 4 games. Time to hire both an offensive specialist and defensive specialist. Maybe a keeper specialist. Do we still feel the exposure is worth it? Those of us invited for today's affair appreciate the hospitality and the exposure. Just costs us alot less. Lots of new guest players on some of sidelines today also, free exposure for them also. Just remember you paid for that also. Thanks again

Okay I have tried to remain quiet for some time because the comments were not about kids and more about club stuff, which I get but now @May 23, 2015 6:59pm you have stepped over the line and now its time for me to get directly at you. Let me from the start bring some credibility to this. I am Eric Harris………period so you know where I am about to go with this. You have some never to get on here and actually take a cheap shot at some 14, 15, 16 year old little girl. You got some serious issues my man and now that you took it there and before you say you never said anything let me quote you so that we don’t have to jump back and forth. “Time to hire both an offensive specialist and defensive specialist. Maybe a keeper specialist” now I would say why would some need to do all that and who are you talking about “INDIRECTLY”. Well hey time for me to start talking cause now you brought me back in the game and for any of you lame cats let me air it out real quick. First of all I support PDA and we ARE ONE so the fact that you don’t count the Gunners in your tirade is funny as heck and more shows how fragile and how you hate EXIT 12. Well guess what you should and the reason being is that YOUR NOT THERE and that’s YOUR OWN DOING. See the grass aint greener on the other side partner. Hands down you name any club or “ACADEMY” and you know I know people from COPA, RUSH, Matchfit, etc. and GUESS WHAT I pay less than you do and guess what I get WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY more for my money than you. Aside from PDA name another so called “ACADEMY” in NJ that has their own complex. Don’t tell me what you are going to build and where you are going to build it because if so I got a bridge to sell you. You dag on right we are getting exposure and guess what you got some today also so YOUR WELCOME but I ask how come your sloppy club hasn’t provided you what we gave you today……………ONCE again YOUR WELCOME. EVERY TEAM that was there today and this weekend is winning and won the race. Your kids are getting A CHANCE to been seen but tons of COLLEGE COACHES and NATIONAL TEAM COACHES so again YOU ARE WELCOME. Hey tomorrow come up and say hello and let me walk you around what you’re missing and what you don’t have at your CLUB……….lol lol lol if you want to call it that. Trust me all the complaining you do it must not be all that and surely you are obvious VERY UNHAPPY and JEALOUS of what WE have over at PDA. Anyway you know where I will be tomorrow feel free to come up and say hello or say what you want to say but you know that I am the exact guy to get in a debate or whatever you want to do but I assume come tomorrow night that I will be on here call you out again for not approaching me…………..You really got nerve calling out kids like that. Eric Harris

Eric, you are absolutely right that we shouldn't be calling out the play of 15 year olds, but PDA is an ECNL club plain and simple. At least at this age group, the rest of the PDA teams have done little to enhance the clubs reputation. All you have to do is look at the tryout numbers over the last few years and you'd know that no one is banging down the doors to join the other PDA teams. Success isn't defined by wins and losses but it is by improving year after year. I have seen your South club cast off kid after kid and a lot of good ones that have found success elsewhere. The South casts those kids off like they are rubbish and with little respect and anyone current or past from that team knows exactly what I'm talking about. They do it expecting that that so many kids are so anxious for the exposure and would come running because of the "exposure" , it ain't happened. Instead of developing a team they have tried to go the "free agent" route. I suspect you truly don't know the PDA of the South and that team has harmed your the reputation of your whole club. Cuts and kids leaving are part of the game. The kids on that team are shown little respect while they are playing and while they are leaving. The Pride team is the poster child for why clubs should develop first and build when current kids aren't cut out for this level. I was at the PDA tournament today and I watched quite a few games and saw a lot of very good soccer and I can tell you the 6-0 Pride loss is the culmination of 5 years or so of trying to get quick fixes to get wins and losses rather than developing a core group of players that play together as a team.

One point of fact is that PDA does not have its own complex they don't own fields. A lot of clubs lease or rent fields based on the revenue they generate. No one doubts that PDA had become quite a revenue generating business that allows them to lease nice fields. The rest of PDA outside of Zaraphath uses town fields like the rest of us poor souls.

I still cannot figure out the obsession with results? If you are @PDA I assume your kid wants to keep her college options open. What more do you want? PDA has probably attracted the bulk of the kids who want to be there already. Tryout numbers mean nothing given the fact that there is not an infinite supply of potential players. As a business, PDA need to come up with new ways of adding numbers, hence the other methods. Its a a business. Use it to your benefit or don't, but criticizing the machine is pointless.

6:17 Reread the May 23 11:44 post, that explains it. It's not about W-L it is about teams that are regressing. Te Pride team churns 5-6 kids every year, it is done with a lack of dignity and respect. The kids that are there now have no sense of team, there is distrust, and they fear their coach When they churn the 5-6 kids a year they have not been able to replace those kids with better players and the kids that have left have found a lot of success elsewhere. The fact is that the teams that develop their team and focus on developing that team are doing much better than teams that are chasing the next best thing that doesn't exist. So every time a kid leaves or gets hurt the team gets more and more because they have built no depth in their team. Yes 9-0 is indicative of a broader problem of not having an emphasis on development. ECNL clubs don't have that problem, but at the next level down kids have lots of choices. Look at the NJ and PA teams that are doing well, it's teams that have mostly stayed together.

One tournament our one game doesn't judge a club or team, but the progression of a club and teams matters. It is safe to say that both the Athletica and the Pride have not grown since they had formed and they have really fallen back quite a bit. Time will tell on the Breakers There are a good 10 clubs in NJ that are doing well and improving and have built it on keeping a team together. The Pride team is prime example of how not to develop while Copa nd TRE are the opposite. There are maybe 5-6 kids from the PDA team when they first formed. Some left, some were cut and most are playing pivotal roles for their teams on other clubs, meanwhile the replacements of those kids haven't elevated the team.

Maybe the coach is soccer's Chip Kelly, just plug players into a system and we will do well. Nope, you have to develop a team.

@943 .. so you think players that can play at the highest level are being ignored? Whose fault is that? If you do not feel you are getting what you want, play elsewhere. There are so many clubs that you can fine one that will suit- IF you can play at the highest level.

So we are in agreement!! Obviously this top academy DOES NOT DEVELOP or ignores the B, C, D players based on the results this past weekend so I TOTALLY concur. These players in the B, C, D teams whom BTW many talents are wasting their time waiting to get a shot at the A team. These players are not being trained properly and all the resources go the ECNL team. They should not go but RUN to other A teams in NJ OR pa that put a lot work into their teams like Toms River Everton, NJ Stallions, SJEB, Freehold, etc.

WOW.........lol lol I finally put this all together lol well somewhat. I now know who is at PDA's neck like they are. My folks down at Toms River.......yeah awww man cmon let it go. You reason for not being at PDA had nothing to do with PDA but you and I both know who but you fail to say it.......lol lol it was puzzling me until I read the last couple of post and you mentioned Toms River Everton which you and I have had this debate or conversation before in person.....lol lol. Let me ask this does SJEB, Freehold, Toms River, NJ Stallions have A and B teams............mind you be cautioned before you answer because I already know the answer. This is at May 26, 2015 or should I say your real name or......you tell me lol lol Eric Harris

Eric, not from TRE or any club mentioned but i follow your comments with interest. Can't say I agree with you on everything but if you notice no one is commenting on the player quality but rather the treatment and training these players might get elsewhere. I think you might be little selfish by not suggesting some the non ecnl PDA players would not be better off elsewhere. You look at PDA thru rose colored shades since your daughter is with the ECNL team. You must agree that there are issues when the 4 other teams combine for a single win and a tie. The exposure for the non ECNL teams was outstanding this weekend but maybe just maybe your non ecnl players at PDA might be better off elsewhere. Will you not concede this fact? Please skip the PDA rhetoric and be honest for once, i will have more respect for you if you can be straight forward.

@10:32am the person that I am talking about KNOWS…exactly who I am talking about. Now do I go ahead and put their name on here. No way I would never do that to him because me “ASSUMING” that its them I could be wrong but my gut tells me I am right because I know for a fact that they write on here which we talk about sometimes when I do see them. It’s no big deal but now I know or at least I have a really good feeling that some of it is him lol lol or her lol which makes my next conversation I have with him even better and its keeps our relationship live and kicking lol lol. Listen most of you take offense when I defend PDA and I get that and I understand that. Hey it’s a difference of opinion for some of us which is okay. Trust me I would never condone or applaud anyone that will use children as pawns or as you say commodity. That being said FROM MY EXPERIENCE PDA does not do that. I say that because I have never experienced that or felt that way. This is a free country and I say FREE with tongue in cheek, but its FREE and I choose to be at PDA, they are not forcing my hand or anyone else’s for that matter. We are all there by choice and if we do not like it there is the door and you are more than welcome to exit as you please and certainly if you feel the need that you want to come back and you haven’t BURNED any bridges you are welcome with open arms. My comments aren’t based off the Gunners because my child is on that team but I make my statement as my whole PDA experience. I don’t look at my experience or decision based off ONE TEAM. I make it off the WHOLE PICTURE and what I am looking to get out of it for my kids. When you say that kids have regressed in the “ACADEMY” system I am confused. I would say that kids have regressed in the “ELITE” system. On every corner there is an “ELITE” team or ACADEMY. Think about it on paper how many ACADEMY’s are there in the state of NJ. Now go type in ELITE and you will see that there are just as many. Sooooooooo what does that mean………I would say I have no clue because I don’t know what the difference is but I can say that where my kids play is like no other that I have seen or experience from afar and by what others tell me that are on that team say. Eric Harris

@10:32 am I am glad that you follow my post lol lol it could be a better convo in person actually but I assume that won’t take place do what I can never understand with a lot of you. I don’t think what I say is selfish at all. I say what I say based on my own experience and I defend PDA because this is where both of my children call home and if someone has to say something about where my children has happiness and finds peace, don’t worry I will defend that 100% of the time. You know what I never understood or understand when people say “Rose Color Glasses” what does that mean really. I don’t wear shades at all and certainly not rose color. I can only assume that what you say is in the same tense or analogy of “DRINKING THE KOOLAID” which just so happens that I love KOOLAID……born and raised on it but my kids have no clue………I think I have deprived them of that….lol. Look around and you will see that I have no problem posting my name, phone number, address, exit etc. I have no problem doing that because I’m confident in what I believe in and sure it may not be popular with most but I am okay with that because I am human and I am entitled to an “OPINION” based on my own personal thoughts. Now are they same yours…….probably not but I am okay with that because what I have learn long ago is that these years will FLY BY so fast. Remember when our girls were U8………wasn’t that last year lol lol I mean its going fast and instead of being UNHAPPY about another parents decision to be or not be I really don’t have time. Do I listen to what you say sure I do and does it bother me that maybe your child was unfairly evaluated…………..well this is sports and trust me it’s not fair and never will be. You are comparing APPLES to Oranges and you are the one looking through maybe those ROSE color glasses because you make the statement about issues of the 4 teams within PDA’s U15 age group and try to compare it to the WHOLE NON ECNL bracket. Here let’s do this what is the name of your club and team and let’s compare APPLES to APPLES. okay according to you between our four non-ecnl teams we won only 1 game, tied one game and lost the rest. Okay I got that. Now please tell me the name of your club and let’s compare. I will wait…..no lets see who is looking through Rose Color Glasses because if you fail to give that information then not only are you looking through Rose Color Glasses but you are ashamed of where you are now and that’s SAD because as an adult we try to teach our children to be proud of what they have and what they accomplish. Now lets seeEric Harris

It speaks volumes that the Atletica parents or Pride parents never come to the defense of the club, some have come on here and openly disparaged it. Maybe you should let them speak for themselves

I did not say the kids have regressed, I said that the team had regressed. I don't think any objective observer could say otherwise. When you coach with threats and you churn kids with out having adequate replacements, that is what you get.

Out of interest Eric, how many Pride practices has your daughter attended, how many hour long post game speeches has your daughter heard, how many discussions on the great things that are happening at the club and for players, has your daughter faced the year after year threat of tryouts and the coach saying you guys are not good enough. I suspect you really don't know what you are speaking about. The Pride coach also is the DOC of the South Club and it is that leadership that has caused a lot of PDA regression and I believe damaged the reputation of the club.

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